See, the story employed some dirty words. Well, not some. One or two. One in particular, that many people still find offensive in public discourse, despite the fact that they attend movies every weekend where the word flows like water from the actors' lips.
You know the word I'm talking about.
There were probably a dozen or more instances of the word in a 1200 word story.
So, no kidding, the journal was unofficially banned from the campus. Copies disappeared from the campus center and apologetic statements were issued. I was neither sorry for the story, nor stridently proud. None of it affected me much. I remember chuckling at the headline in the campus paper: Prosch Prose Gets the Ax.
But I also remember, and took to heart, the words of an old professor who advised me after the fact: "I'm no prude," he said, "but if the thing I remember most about a story is the overabundance of one certain word, there's something wrong with the story."
Of course, that personal anecdote is just a sample of a bigger, ongoing discussion, one we're all still living with and hearing about: What's appropriate in fiction, what isn't, who gets to say so, and, ultimately...who cares?
Today, trigger warnings are a hot topic. On the face of it, the concept that a writer should preface his/her work with a caveat on what's written there--to somehow protect a potentially sensitive reader--is laughable. But there's some pretty serious talk about it as close as your nearest search engine.
So fiction writers are jumped on for offensive language. Or for depicting gratuitous sex and violence without warning. (Grapefruit sex and violence, my old great-aunt used to call it.)
These lines of thought brought to mind my own prejudice against stories where the dog dies. Or the horse.
In my opinion, such a move is almost always gratuitous. I don't want to read a story depicting excessive animal cruelty. Some of you might feel the same way (You out there, Mean Pete?). I think it's good for shock value only. There are better ways to advance a story.
Which, I suppose is the way some people feel about sex scenes or profane dialog.
I'm interested in hearing what y'all think.
After growing up on a Nebraska farm, Richard Prosch worked as a professional writer, artist, and teacher in Wyoming, South Carolina, and Missouri. His western crime fiction captures the fleeting history and lonely frontier stories of his youth where characters aren’t always what they seem, and the windburned landscapes are filled with swift, deadly danger. Read more at www.RichardProsch.com
I have been called out in Amazon reviews (more than once) for coarse language but the reviewers, quite often, still rated the book high. My great Uncle Charlie use to say, "Too much of anything, good for nothing." I try to write by that old chestnut. If the story calls for it, then I go there. If not, why be vulgar.
ReplyDeleteUncle Charlie sounds like a wise man. As you suggest, the story's the boss.
DeleteI don't swear in real life and I don't enjoy swearing in books and films. I've always thought it showed a lack of vocabulary. However, as I get older, I appreciate that it's part of modern culture and I am more accepting of it. If I'm expecting it, that's fine. If it jumps out of nowhere, then not so much because it's momentarily thrown me out of the story and that's never acceptable. As for sex - I've always preferred the fade to black in films and literature. Violence - I'm not violent and I don't like violence in real life, but in fiction, bring it on.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about being thrown from the story, Joanne. Usually at that point I start to look for the writer's "other" agenda --if the story loses its rails, what else is the writer trying to communicate?
DeleteI've written everything from squeaky clean to pretty filthy, depending on what the market calls for. My natural tendency in Westerns, though, tends toward not being too graphic. A lot of classic Western novels and movies in the Forties and Fifties touched on some pretty adult subjects without being gratuitous about it, so I figure we can, too. Speaking of trigger warnings, Rich, are you keeping up with the SJW flap going on over in the science fiction field?
ReplyDeleteThanks James --yes, I have, through the various Sad Puppies postings. If those folks would expend all that energy into new stories, what a renaissance there might be in written SF.
DeleteCoarse language can be overdone, true. But writing about certain situations and characters and making it *too* sanitized can be just as off-putting ... Like most things in life, I believe that striking a balance is the best route ... I grew up around farm hands and rowdy uncles and spent my working life amongst construction and factory workers and I can assure you that very few of them (including me) were likely to, say, stub their toe or hit their thumb with a hammer and then limit their response to something like "Doggone, did that ever hurt!" ... Therefore, when writing about certain kinds of people or certain situations, the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys vocabulary guide just flat don't cut it.
ReplyDeleteWyane, I get a kick out of the old westerns when, as you suggested, somebody hits their thumb and they "spat out an oath." I always imagine them straightening up and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance! Great comment!
DeleteMy 'guidepost' if you will is and will probably always be, if it advances the story and makes a point, I will use it. Otherwise, it is just 'fluff'. Doris McCraw/Angela Raines
ReplyDeleteThanks Doris. Yes, it has to be part of the story.
DeleteThis is so interesting, Rich! You know, I think too, it depends on the genre you're writing a LOT. As an example, though I know a lot of people reading this don't read a lot of romance, I will say I've seen a lot of changes in this genre through the years as a reader and writer, and now, publisher.
ReplyDeleteI like to use this as an example because there are those who will pick up a romance novel with a very racy cover, read it all the way through, and then say, "I didn't care for it, because it was a 'typical' bodice ripper." Clearly, you knew what you were picking up when you saw the cover...I even had one reviewer at amazon make the statement that even though the cover was racy she figured it "wouldn't be that bad" and then discovered it was...but she read it anyhow. LOL I have to laugh at these people, for sure. Or those who feel it's their duty to warn the world that THIS BOOK HAS SEX IN IT!
As for the language. I learned from another publisher that to use words such as "goddammit" or "Jesus" etc. would make a romance reader put the book down quicker than the "f" word would. So, if they were going to curse, the "f" word was better to use than anything religious. She was right!
In one of my contemporary romantic suspense novels, I had a review (an Amazon reader) that said the antagonist needed to be more forceful in his language, and CUSS MORE!
Ya see? You just can't please everyone! LOL But I have learned it's better to have them say the "f" word rather than take the Lord's name in vain, in most cases...if they're going to cuss.
Interesting stuff, Rich!
Great post, Cheryl. People ought to be sophisticated enough to know what they are picking up, right? And as a study of our culture, I'll bet romance novels are an interesting genre to watch over time.
DeleteI am one of those readers who doesn't like a lot of cussing. I understand when someone does it. I don't like to read taking the Lord's name in vain or the "f" word. I don't pick up a novel or ebook with a racy cover as I know it has a lot of sex. Certain poses by the female on the cover tells me I don't want to read it. I like the fade to black about sex. I understand that cussing and sex are part of life. I just don't like a lot of real life in most of my reading or in my life. To each his own. I'd just like a little warning before I get into it while reading. I get enough in real life. I like my reading to be escapism so I don't have to think about real life. That's just me.
ReplyDeleteThanks Connie! One of the great things about ebooks (I think) is that it expands the market for all of us beyond the New York "one size fits all." More choices for everybody to find what they are looking for.
DeleteThe story and the characters are the boss, not me. If it's natural to the character to swear, then they will. If it's not, well, then. :) If you'd hear a person like them say it in real life, then they will in my story. Except, well, I just can't make myself go to allowing my characters to take the Lord's name in vain. I don't write "Christian" stories, but I just can't do it. It's my line in the sand, I suppose....
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laura. Great comment!
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ReplyDeleteThe time period and culture are factors. I don't believe that men on the frontier swore with every breath, and certainly not in mixed company. (That, to me, was the glaring inaccuracy in the TV series, "Deadwood.") However, if you're writing contemporary fiction, you must be true to those characters. Be prepared to take some flack no matter what you write!
ReplyDeleteAin't it the truth, Vonn?
DeleteYou all know my position, especially when writing WESTERNS. No matter who the story is written for, a young person (as early as age 8) picks up a book and what we write affects that child---as well as an adult. I believe a creative writer can be gritty and get the point across without using inappropriate language. Many WESTERN writers did not write graphically, Zane Grey didn't, Louis L'Amour didn't, Frederick Faust (Max Brand) didn't, and all these writers sold millions of copies of books. As writers we have to decide individually what we want to leave as a legacy---and live with it.
ReplyDeleteI like your comment about kids, Charlie. I just wrote a piece about "all ages" writing over at the Painted Pony blog. I read everything as a kid and it all affected me --good 'n' bad.
DeleteI think Wayne might have hit the nail on the head when he said writers should strive to strike a balance. The key to stirring the emotional pot, I believe, is what works and is appropriate in the context of the story.
ReplyDeleteContext is king, Tom!
DeleteRobert McKee said that if you left a movie saying that the cinematography was great, then the movie was a flop. His reasoning was that no one element makes a great movie. I think the same applies here. Also, written words are stronger to me, so a little goes a long way. But I just can't imagine a serial killer talking like a Sunday school teacher. Every trait, whether clothing habits or speech patterns, should show the true nature of the character. I just don't know how you can do that if certain words are not available. And yes, I even used the f word once. I took that word out and put it back in about 50 times. The line simply didn't ring true without it (a whore said it), so in the end, I left it in. I haven't used the f word since, but it's there if I need it, and it's been around a long time.
ReplyDeleteBut what annoys me is the overuse of that particular word. It's so ubiquitous that it has lost all its power and isn't much stronger than "dang." We've taken a perfectly good shock word and cut the legs out from under it. And there's not any other word that can replace it.
Jacquie, I know a guy who uses cuss words so much that if you transcribed it, it would come across as flat out unbelievable. Sometimes reality is more odd than fiction!
DeleteIn my opinion, the excessive use of foul language tends to alert one to lack of content. There are times when a @#% is called for but to have it as normal dialogue just isn't necessary.
ReplyDeleteJerry, that's exactly what my prof. was getting at --that too much of anything draws attention to a weak story.
DeleteI don't know if, "Oh S#@!T" was what Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidd should've expressed, in such an emotional death-defying moment, when they jumped over the cliff together. Should they have recited, "Oh Darn," in unison? Maybe, "Dag-nab-bit!" - or "Shucks..." I once read Elmer Kelton, (paraphrased) "Human nature, being what it is, will say or do anything, if pushed far enough. Which I believe Elmer was telling writers to play that one curse-word card sparingly 'cause you don't get another one.
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